WiKirby:Quality Standards (old)

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If more should be needed to be added to this list, it will be done in the future. For now, this page is to provide a basic understanding of what is expected in an article.

Article Creation

See also: Getting Started: Creating a Page

• Any article not in its proper category (or categories) should be sorted into a category. If the category does not exist, the writer/editor may create a category at their discretion.
• Before creating an article, it is wise to make sure that the page does not already exist under another name. If there is more than one plausible name for an article, find out if the article exists in this other name, and make the duplicate article a redirect. If two articles about the same topic exist that both comply with the Quality Standards, it should be suggested that they be merged with the {{merge}} template.
• Articles should only be created when the editor is confident that they possess enough information to describe the subject matter fully and accurately. Articles should be of decent length; what qualifies as "decent length" can and will vary depending on the subject, but looking at articles covering similar topics can be helpful in getting an idea of the minimum amount of content a new article should contain. It is not appropriate to create minimal stub pages (such as articles no longer than one or two lines of text) as placeholders in order to eliminate a red link or for a similar reason, but rather it is preferable to wait for another editor to be able to do justice to the task.

Wanted Pages

While working on articles, the writer/editor will sometimes wish to link to an article which has not yet been created, thereby creating a red link. Such links will appear in the Wanted pages list, allowing other editors with knowledge of the subject to create the required article. Certain guidelines should be adhered to in relation to wanted pages:

• Red links should only be created when the writer is confident that the page linked to is strictly required (see Getting Started: Creating a Page), and alternatives such as a piped link or redirect, or adding content to an existing article, have been considered.
• Before creating a page shown in the wanted pages list, use the "What links here" option in the sidebar toolbox to view the page(s) which link to this required article. This ensures that the subject and its context are fully understood, since the title alone will often not make this clear.
• As with all new pages, newly created wanted pages should be correctly categorized.
• Some wanted links may be deemed to be unnecessary. In this case, the page which links to them may be edited to remove the link. However, this should only be done with a reasonable degree of certainty, therefore it is normally advisable to open a discussion on the relevant talk page before taking any action. Also, the alternatives mentioned in the first point above should be considered.

Images

For general help on uploading and using images, see Help:Images.

• All images should be tagged with the proper image templates which identify the source and content of the image.
• File extensions for images are to be in lowercase and not capitalized. (.jpg not .jpg)
• For images with transparent backgrounds, a .png file format is preferred to .gif.
• Fan art and modified-model images are not acceptable for use within articles unless such modifications can be shown to aid in illustrating a point in the articles in which the images are placed.
• Screenshots should be cropped so there are no black portions around the image before being uploaded. If images are uploaded like this, they must be fixed. (see WiKirby:Image Requests.)
• Images of artwork, unless appropriate, should not be placed into tables or infoboxes unless they have a transparent background. Such images without background transparency need to have their backgrounds removed, but this must be done to a quality that leaves smooth edges with no strokes, and leave no easily visible traces of any background. (see WiKirby:Image Requests.)
  • If an editor does not have the means to remove a background from an image, the editor may upload it and place it in the WiKirby:Image Requests page under the "Background Removal (Transparency)" section. Refrain from placing the image in an article until its background has been removed.
  • Transparent images, unless used in infoboxes, tables or galleries, must be placed in articles using Template:ImCap or into a thumb template.
• Images uploaded to WiKirby should be of an acceptable quality, not being extremely small or pixelated files (unless the files are released as such by official sources).
• If an image does not meet quality standards (or it is a duplicate of an existing image) it will be deleted by an administrator. (see WiKirby:File Deletion Policy.)

Image Captions

All images, apart from those used in tables, must have a caption. The caption should include a number of details:

• The subject of the image. This is not necessary if the image is placed in the subject's article, but an image of Kirby in an article not explicitly dealing with Kirby, for instance, should be properly identified.
• What kind of image it is (sprite/model, artwork or screenshot). While this is not absolutely necessary for screenshots, artwork and in-game sprites/models must be marked as such.
• What game or other source the image stems from. This information may be left out if the image is placed in a section or article dealing specifically with the source it originates from (e.g. a sprite from Kirby's Dream Land 3 in a Kirby's Dream Land 3 section), but must otherwise be stated.
• Images used in infoboxes must be captioned in the following manner:
  [type of image] from [source]
  , whereas "type of image" is to be replaced with the appropriate type (usually artwork, sprite, model or screenshot) and [source] must be replaced with the source of the image (e.g. Kirby's Dream Land 2 or Kirby: Right Back at Ya!); this should not be a formatted as a link, as the source will most likely already be linked to in the infobox and/or the article itself.

Infoboxes

Infoboxes are templates used to display a quick overview of hard facts about the article's subject, usually placed in the first or one of the first lines of an article.

• If an Infobox exists for the type of subject the article covers, it must include the respective template.
  • If multiple relevant infoboxes exist, the most relevant of these should be placed at the top, above the introduction paragraph, whereas other infoboxes may be placed in appropriate sections or sub-sections. A character that is primarily an in-game enemy but has also made an appearance in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, for instance, may have the Enemy Infobox at the top and an Anime-related Infobox in its Anime section. This is to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
• The order of the individual Infobox attributes does not have to be retained in the template code for them to appear in the correct order, but this should still be done in order to ease reading of the code by potential future editors.
• The image used in an infobox should usually depict the most recent appearance of the subject in the form the Infobox describes; this means that an Enemy Infobox should illustrate the subject's most recent appearance as an enemy, even if it has appeared in a different form more recently. Exceptions can and will be made on a case-by-case basis, however, particularly if the there are major discrepancies between the most recent appearance and the way the subject is typically portrayed, e.g. Kirby's Epic Yarn artwork for a character that is not usually made of yarn. Additionally, artwork is preferred over sprites or models, so if no official art exists for the subject's most recent appearance but is present for an earlier one, an exception can likewise be made as long as the image still accurately reflects the subject's typical design.
• Games listed in the "game=" part of an infobox must be displayed as small by placing the code <small> at the beginning and closing it with </small> at the end. They must also be listed in the order in which the games were released, always going by the earliest release date; see Kirby (series) for the correct order.
• Fields that are not filled in, especially when they cannot be filled in for the specific subject, should be removed from the code entirely. If, for instance, an enemy possesses no Enemy Info Card, the "|enemy info card=" part of the template code should not be present.
• Spaces that directly follow the "=" symbols of the Infobox code make no difference in the appearance of the Infobox and are generally discouraged.

Article Formatting

• Articles should have proper English grammar and spelling. If the spelling of a word differs between American and British English, one of the Personal settings templates should be used (e.g. utili{{z}}e for the word utilize/utilise); if no template exists for the word, one should be made if the word is common, or the basic UserLang template should be used. This will cause words to be displayed in American or British English according to a user's preferences. Grammar and spelling is, perhaps, the largest problem on the Wiki as of late. Tagged articles for improvement are most likely tagged because of poor linguistics.
• Articles should be lengthy without resorting to filibustering. If they do not cover a subject at appropriate length, they should be tagged as stubs. Once articles have reached a certain length (defined at the user's discretion), the stub tag should be removed. Generally, a stub is a paragraph or shorter. These articles should be expanded as quickly as possible so as to provide the most in-depth information.
• Subdivisions should be placed accordingly in articles. Common sections to be used in articles include "Game Appearances" (followed by sub-sections for individual games), "Anime" (to cover anime appearances, primarily in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!), "Trivia", "Names in Other Languages" and "Gallery". Sections such as "Appearance" or "Strategy" should be avoided, unless these topics require a very lengthy elaboration. If there is a certain order of events that demand subsections, they should be in the proper order. Please note that there are different ways of creating subsections, in order of importance. This should be used to the writer's advantage when creating or editing an article, so as to give the article the best organization possible.
• Articles should cite their sources if information presented in them cannot easily be verified by playing the game/watching the episode/etc. in question. The <ref> tags are to be used for citations, while {{ref}} must be placed below the last section of the article to display a list of them. Currently, very few articles cite any sources whatsoever, which is quickly becoming unacceptable. In past times, this was fine, but as the Wiki grows, so must its standards. Lengthy articles such as Kirby should especially have their sources cited. If an article does not cite a source when it should, please mark the questionable information with the {{fact}} template until sources are inserted.
• Articles with out-of-date information should be updated to reflect the most recent information as soon as possible.
• The abbreviations for the games should never be used in articles. This excludes very special cases when used in image or template names and the abbreviations page itself.

Article Layout

The following is a basic layout that articles on subjects found in games or other media should match. Game, console, etc. articles follow different layouts. Note that none of these sections are mandatory and should only be used where they make sense. Non-standard sections may of course be used; their placement should be decided on a case-by-case basis.

• Game appearances: This section is mainly intended for subjects appearing in more than one game and includes sub-sections on individual games, in the order in which they were released, always going by the earliest release date. See Kirby (series) for a list of games and the order they should be in.
• Anime: A description of the subject as it appears in Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and/or other anime, if applicable.
• Manga and comics: A description of the subject as it appears in the various Kirby manga and comics; sub-sections should be used for individual works/series.
• Trivia: Interesting facts that do not fit into any other section. Individual Trivia points should be formatted by placing a * at the beginning of each point; this creates a bullet point list.
• Gallery: Images of the subject that do not fit into other sections, formatted as a gallery.
• Names in other languages: Names in non-English languages and their meanings, formatted using Template:Names.
• References: To be inserted by placing {{ref}}, which also automatically generates the appropriate section heading. Should only be placed if the article in question cites sources.
• Navigation templates: All templates intended for navigation must be placed below the final section of the article, preceded only by {{clear}} and no section heading.
• Categories: All category tags should go at the very end of an article. These are not visible as part of the article, but cause it to be properly categorized.

Article Content

• Articles that contain spoilers for the plots or content of games or other media should be tagged as such using the {{spoiler}} tag, either at the top of the page or in the relevant section(s). A spoiler is generally defined as any details that are:
  1. From a recent (less than 1 year old) game that have not been disclosed in promotional material.
  2. Vital to the plotline of the story.
  3. Rewards for obtaining milestones in the game, typically 100% completion.
  • In addition, WiKirby does not allow coverage of details on unreleased content obtained through illegitimate means, such as datamining or other forms of espionage.
• Please do not copy articles from Wikipedia or other Wikis! While it is not against any law to do so, WiKirby takes pride in its all-original articles. If you don't like the idea of making an article from scratch, perhaps it isn't your day to make an article. Articles caught copying from Wikipedia or any site that does not run the Wiki will be deleted or reverted to their older forms.
  • Do not upload images such as screenshots or artwork from other wikis without specifying where they come from. Additionally, images that have received significant alterations (including simple background removal) from their original forms should not be uploaded without express consent from the original creator(s).
• Do not put up links to online Manga translations, fansubs of Japanese retail videos, TV show episodes, or game ROM downloads. Such content is illegal and will not be tolerated. Note: A ROM is essentially a copy of a game ripped from a cartridge/disk. While owning a ROM is legal provided that a physical copy of the game is also owned, the uploading/downloading and distribution of such ROM's is illegal, and will not be tolerated!
• Vandalism is subject to immediate expulsion from the Wiki for a set amount of time as defined by the sysop or bureaucrat!

Article Style

• WiKirby maintains an in-universe writing style for all game content. Specifically, characters in the games are referred to by name, using third-person forms (e.g. "Kirby" is to be used in place of "you"). Please note that "Kirby" and "the player" are not synonymous; the former should be used for actions specifically performed by Kirby in the game, while the latter refers to actions, such as pressing a particular button, that only the person playing the game can do. On WiKirby, the template RealMe must be used in place of "the player".
• Unless the subject matter demands otherwise, only the present tense should be used.
• Article text should maintain a neutral point of view, and should not reflect the author's personal views or offer subjective judgments on the content described. Exceptions to this rule are relevant opinions expressed by people such as professional critics or Nintendo officials; these must, however, be properly cited.
• Well-written articles avoid the use of styles or elements associated with literary fiction. For example, editors should avoid:
  • over-use of superfluous adjectives and/or adverbs
  • exaggeration and/or dramatization
  • any writing style associated with storytelling
  • unnecessary repetition of content already covered in other articles
• WiKirby strives to be an accessible resource first and foremost. In the spirit of the Kirby series, stylish and playful writing in articles is encouraged in moderation, but it should not take precedence over the substance of the article.
• When referring to recently released games, terms such as "new" or "latest" should be avoided, as these are temporary statements subject to change. Also, this practice rarely imparts valuable information.

Language and Localization Standards

WiKirby is an English-language wiki, based in the United States of America, which sets a few standards for language:

• Personal settings templates must be used for any words that possess different spellings in American and British English (e.g. utili{{z}}e for the word utilize/utilise); if no formatting template exists for the word, one should be made if the word is common, or the basic UserLang template should be used.
• Even though the games of the Kirby series are originally published in Japanese, the translations and localizations of the games of Nintendo of America, as well as the English-language dub of Kirby: Right Back at Ya! by 4Kids Entertainment, are given priority coverage in articles. When there is a significant difference in the canon between versions, the differences in the original Japanese should be mentioned only as an aside.
  • Likewise, when naming articles, the North American English-localized names should always be used, with the Japanese names mentioned second only where applicable, excepting cases where English-localized names do not exist.
  • If there are differences to mention, a good place to cover them would be an article's 'Trivia' section. If the differences are extensive, requiring a paragraph or more, then a dedicated 'Difference between regions' section should be made somewhere beneath the main body of the article.
• To preserve clarity and quality of content, no language other than English is to be used in an article's text. Only direct quotes may be presented in other languages, and a translation should always follow.
• Game-related articles should be written in an in-universe speaking style whenever in-game details or actions are being described. This means that when referring to playable characters, such as "Kirby", articles must state the name of the character or use an appropriate alternative for the sentence, such as "he". It is not tolerable to refer to playable characters as "the player" or "you", and if these are in articles they should be changed to the correct narrative. The player should only be referred to when speaking of an action the person playing the game must perform, such as pressing a specific button; RealMe should be used in place of "the player" here. There are exceptions to this, namely for glitches.
• First and second-person nouns and adjectives (such as 'I', 'you', 'your', etc.) should never be used in article text outside of direct quotations.

Theories in Articles

It is important to remember that WiKirby is an encyclopedia and not a forum. Articles are for the presentation of factual information, not for expressing personal theories. There are a number of things that should be noted when adding theories to articles, so they meet WiKirby’s quality standards:

• Any and all theories must be placed either in the 'Trivia' section of an article, or in its own section under the main body of the page, and be labeled with the {{Theory}} template. No articles exclusively covering theories will be allowed unless they are provably acknowledged by HAL Laboratory.
• Theories are to be reputable, show evidence to support them (see Help:Citing Sources), and have a reasonable amount of support or acceptance within the community. That is, they are not merely personal theories.
• Theories must be directly relevant to the article in question, and in turn be in-keeping with the tone of the subject matter.
• There is to be no speculation or theories in regards to unreleased games or other content.
• When considering adding a theory to an article, it is best to propose the theory on the corresponding talk page, to allow its veracity and relevance can be discussed and a decision reached.
• In general, theories relating to the chronology of events (timelines and so on) are discouraged on articles.

Glitch Standards

• By adding a glitch to WiKirby you are agreeing that you have personally tested the glitch, or have a definitive knowledge that the glitch is possible, and can testify to its authenticity.
• By adding a glitch to WiKirby you agree that you have written the instructions personally and not copied them from another source.
• Glitches are to be laid out in the following format:

Name of Glitch

• Effect: (What is the outcome of performing the glitch?)
• Prerequisites: (Items required and minimum stage in the game when glitch is executable)
• How To: (Detailed step by step instructions of how to execute the glitch)
• Notes: (Notes about the glitch, if any)

Naming Standards

We editors of WiKirby hold ourselves to a high standard. These naming standards apply to both page and section titles.

Some of the games have two titles. The main title (Kirby:) and its subtitle (i.e. Crystal Shards). When describing a character in the title, only what is need to know should be in it. So that means that in cases where the generic "Kirby:" is used to indicate the series that the game belongs to without adding significantly to the meaning of its title, only the subtitle is needed; and example of this is Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. When dealing with a game that does not possess a divided title like this, the entire title must be used, e.g. Kirby's Adventure or Kirby's Dream Land. Abbreviations within article text may only be used inside of tables and infoboxes where appropriate.

Game abbreviations are not allowed in page titles for main articles. It's okay for userboxes though, actually, it is preferred in such cases.

Characters with titles in their name will have the title in the article name as well, such as King Dedede. When a character needs to be described in the title to differentiate it from something similar or generic, the wiki's standard form is the following:

Subject (description)

Subject is, obviously, the subject of the page in question. description is should be replaced with something specific to the article's subject, indicative of how the article differs from a different one that otherwise possesses the same title; this can, for example, be the name of a game, or a qualifier such as "anime" or "enemy" (e.g. Kirby (anime character) or Parasol (enemy)).

Both of these parts follow page title rules that we all know from school. All words are capitalized except for common words: those that are three letters long or less, typically ones that start a prepositional phrase. Unless they are at the very beginning of course (i.e. first word), then capitalize. Parentheses rules remain in effect, even in titles. As such delimiters are only capitalized if they are Proper Nouns.

Examples of words not to capitalise are:

• a
• an
• and
• at
• for
• in
• is
• of
• on
• the
• to

Please note that capitalization rules do not apply for titles that are officially capitalised differently than they would normally be; these should naturally follow the official spelling in all cases.

Priority in names

Sometimes an article will cover a subject which was never given a formal localized English name, or was simply never given a name at all. Here at WiKirby, we have a tier of options for naming an article which should be used in the following order of priority:

1. If a localized name exists (even if only mentioned in passing in the game's manual or in an official magazine or presentation), it should be used. If multiple official names exist, priority should be given to those used most frequently in games.
2. If no localized name exists, research should be done to determine if the subject was named in original Japanese media. If so, a romanized translation of the name should be used as the title, with the template {{ForeignTitle}} placed just behind the title in the text.
3. If no name officially exists for the subject, Japanese or otherwise, research should be done to see if the object was named in the appropriate game's internal files. If a name is found here, the article should be named after it with camel-cased words separated, and the {{DataTitle}} template should be used.
4. If no name whatsoever can be found, the article's writer is then at liberty to give the subject a name, though this name should be basic as a descriptor of the subject in question. If this is the case, the template {{Title}} should be used to mark it as conjectural.

In all these cases, articles should be re-evaluated and renamed as appropriate whenever new names are discovered or given out. In the event of multiple official names, other names not used as the title should be mentioned in the article, and redirect pages should also be created to accommodate them. Names in languages other than English should be handled in the "Names in other languages" sections of articles, and use of them in main article text is discouraged.

Referring to Games in Articles

When mentioning a game in an article, only use the subtitle (the part after the colon) in most cases — there are exceptions. When using any part of the game's name, always italicize it — see Text Formatting for details.

When linking to a game that uses the generic "Kirby:" as an indication of the series the game belongs in a form that does not add to the title itself, the form can be in the form of a piped link, where the first part is the full name, and the second part is only the subtitle (i.e. the part of the title that follows "Kirby:"). The form is as follows:

''[[Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land|Nightmare in Dream Land]]''

Which generates:

Nightmare in Dream Land

Secondly, when referring to remakes, both names may be used in a condensed form as long as an accurate statement is still maintained.

Kirby Super Star (Ultra) since "(Ultra)" is a delimiter, it works with and without it, "Kirby Super Star" for things unique to the SNES version, and "Kirby Super Star Ultra" for things unique to the DS version.

Redirects

Having links in pages that redirect the reader to a disambiguation page rather than taking them directly to the intended page is strongly discouraged. It makes WiKirby look sloppy and unprofessional. So whenever you, the editor, add a link to another page, please make sure that it is not a redirect. If it is, then please change the link to point to intended location.